Nancy Jeffries, Contributing Editor07.06.11
FiFi 2011 logo |
The evening began with red carpet excitement, as arrivals, including Halle Berry, Fergie, Padma Lakshmi, Kate Walsh, Desiree Rogers, Tiffany Amber Thiessen, Nate Berkus, Cat Cora, and Trey Songz entered the tent. As the lights came down, Rochelle Bloom welcomed the audience to Lincoln Center once again, saying, “This is an appropriate homecoming, as Lincoln Center has become home to Fashion Week, and fragrance is the most important fashion accessory.” Bloom encouraged tweeting from the event, noting the FiFi Awards were tied-in to technology, and provided the hashtag, “FiFi2011,” for the evening’s festivities.
Bloom acknowledged the important work of the Jenesse Center, represented by honoree, Halle Berry and the “What a Little Love Can Do Project,” and Fergie, for The Avon Foundation. For the second year, proceeds from The FiFi Online Charity Auction benefited the evening’s honorees. Bloom and Jill Belasco, Fragrance Foundation Chairwoman of the Board and President of Maesa Group, also acknowledged premier sponsor, Condé Nast, as well as Lucky, LuxePack, Macy’s, and Maesa Group, for their support.
Bloom also introduced a special tribute to Elizabeth Taylor, whose White Diamonds fragrance has remained one of the all-time bestsellers, and inducted her into the Hall of Fame.
Fragrance Hall of Fame
To be nominated for The Fragrance Hall of Fame Award, a fragrance must be on the market 15 years or more, and supported by marketing strategies, which helped the fragrance achieve awareness and success in 2010. The winners in this category were:
Women’s
Issey Miyake L’Eau d’Issey
Men’s
Jean Paul Gaultier “Le Male”
Consumer’s Choice Award
Men’s
Bath & Body Works Signature Collection For Men Twilight Woods
Women’s
Bombshell – Victoria’s Secret
Fragrance Superstar
Gucci Guilty
Mary J. Blige received the Fragrance Sales Breakthrough of the Year award for Carol’s Daughter. |
Fragrance Sales Breakthrough of the Year
At the discretion of the board of directors, a retailer can be recognized for having done something out of the ordinary. This year, it was decided to honor a brand, which at retail, achieved record-breaking sales to set a new benchmark. The honor went to Mary J. Blige and Carol’s Daughter.
The Elizabeth Taylor Fragrance Celebrity of the Year Award
This award, presented by the Foundation’s board of directors, honors a celebrity who has embraced and promoted the world of fragrance over a period of time. It celebrates the ongoing success and support given by the celebrity to the industry and attracting consumers to the category. The 2011 honor went to Halle Berry.
2011 FiFi New Fragrance Celebrity of the Year Award
Selected by the Foundation’s board of directors, this award recognizes a celebrity whose very first fragrance has enjoyed instant success with the consumer and brought recognition to the fragrance category.Fergie was named the winner.
Editorial Excellence Awards
For Women’s Scent Feature, the winner was Allure—Poetic License, Sept. 2010. The winner of the Men’s Scent Feature was a tie with Elle—Picking Up His Scent, December 2010 and Marie Claire—Making Scents for Men, Oct. 2010. The winner in the Women’s Scent Bite was Elle—Mix Masters, Sept. 2010. For editorial excellence in fragrance cover-blog, the honor went to Elle.com—An Eau of Our Own, Oct. 2010.
Technological Breakthrough of the Year Honors
Fragrance Creation and Formulation
Robertet Fragrances – Seed to Scent
Packaging Technology and Delivery Systems
International Flavors & Fragrances – Redken Radiant Sea Spray
Information Technology
Firmenich-osMoz iPhone App
Bath & Body Line of the Year
Coco Mademoiselle Bath Essentials - Chanel
Interior Scent Collection of the Year
Jonathan Adler “Happy Chic” – The Maesa Group for Jonathan Adler
Halle Berry received the Elizabeth Taylor Fragrance Celebrity of the Year Award |
Best Packaging of the Year
Women’s Luxe
Gucci Guilty – P&G Prestige
Men’s Luxe
Marc Jacobs Bang – Coty Prestige
Women’s Broad Appeal
Bombshell Victoria’s Secret
Men’s Broad Appeal
Herve Leger Homme – Avon Products
Best Media Campaign of the Year
Women’s
Gucci Guilty
Men’s
Bleu de Chanel
Perfume Extraordinaire
Givaudan
Fergie received the 2011 FiFi New Fragrance Celebrity of the Year Award. |
Men’s
Banana Republic/Republic of Men Essence
Eau de Toilette – Inter Parfums USA
Women’s
Bombshell – Victoria’s Secret
Fragrance of the Year – Broad Appeal
Men’s
Herve Leger Homme – Avon Products, Inc.
Women’s
Halle By Halle Berry Pure Orchid – Coty
Fragrance of the Year – Direct To Consumer
My Life By Mary J. Blige – Carol’s Daughter
Fragrance of the Year – Specialty Luxe
Men’s
Tom Ford Azure Lime – Tom Ford Beauty
Women’s
Balanciaga Paris – Coty Prestige
Fragrance of the Year – Indie Brand
Six Scents Parfums: Series Three (Unisex) – Six Scents Parfums
Fragrance of the Year
Men’s Luxe
Bleu de Chanel
Women’s Luxe
Gucci Guilty – P&G Prestige
Fragrance Hall of Fame
Women’s
Issey Miyake L’Eau d’Issey-Beauté Prestige International
Men’s
Jean Paul Gaultier ‘Le Male’-Beauté Prestige International
Additional Awards
Top scorers of The Fragrance Foundation’s online certification exam for sales specialists, were Amanda Markey, C.F.S.S. Nordstrom, Ross Park, PA (Fall 2010) and Nicole Maki, C.F.S.S. Nordstrom, Mall of America, Bloomington, MN (Spring 2011).
Jill Belasco, left, chairwoman of The Fragrance Foundation’s board of directors and president of The Maesa Group, with Rochelle Bloom, president of The Fragrance Foundation |
Online Charity Auction
For the second year, proceeds from The FiFi Online Charity Auction benefited organizations selected by the evening’s honorees. Additional information is available at: www.charitybuzz.com/auctions/fifiawards/
Halle Berry for “What a Little Love Can Do Project,” a Domestic Violence Intervention Program at the Jenesse Center, Inc. – www.jenesse.org
Fergie for The Avon Foundation, addressing quality of life issues for women, including breast cancer research and domestic violence – www.avonfoundation.org
The Fragrance Foundation is currently engaged in a number of initiatives to further the exploration and pleasures of fragrance. To entice consumers, in September 2010, the organization partnered with Fashion’s Night Out, bringing carts of blossoming flowers to locations around the city, including the main floor of Macy’s. In the educational arena, the Foundation offered a series of five new “Top Notes” courses, providing current fragrance trends, that will become part of the Certified Fragrance Sales Specialist education initiative; and the Foundation’s Sense of Smell Institute also commissioned Tyler Loring, PhD, to prepare a white paper reviewing recent studies on odor perception.
In addition, the Foundation is truly global now, with Foundation licensees or partnerships in the UK, France, Italy, Australia, Germany, Japan, and the United Arab Emirates. They have also signed a licensing agreement with Perfumery Club in Moscow to establish the first FiFi Awards in Russia.
For more information on the Foundation, visit www.fragrance.org.